‘Victim’ No. 1 in Norway

The just published Victim, the fifth Blix & Ramm novel by Jørn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger, enters the official Norwegian hardcover bestseller list at No. 1. Victim is also No. 1 in e-books.

Disney+ greenlights TV-series adaptation of Alex Dahl’s ‘Playdate’

Disney+ is moving into the contemporary UK thriller space with the greenlight of a series based on Alex Dahl’s parents-worst-nightmare novel Playdate.
The Power of the Dog and It’s a Sin producers Tanya Seghatchian, John Woodward and Nicola Shindler are combining to produce the five-parter, which comes from the decorated trio’s Brightstar and Quay Street Productions. Palme d’Or nominee Eva Husson is directing and Hijack’s Catherine Moulton is writing.

Shindler said Playdate “tells the story of fascinating, relatable and complex women in a situation that is any parent’s worst nightmare,” while Brightstar’s Seghatchian and Woodward described it as a “very rare beast – a thriller that combines beautifully crafted edge-of-the-seat suspense with unexpected plot twists and truly powerful drama.”

Johanna Devereaux, VP of Scripted Content for Disney+ EMEA, added: “Playdate is a brilliantly twisty thriller with a terrifying, instantly relatable hook. We are very proud to be working with celebrated producers, a visionary director Eva Husson and rising star writer on this must-see thriller.”

Filming will commence in the UK and France over the summer. Casting is yet to be announced.

Photo: Rickard Eriksson

Anders Rydell awarded Spanish Historical Literature Award

The Book Thieves by Anders Rydell was just announced as the winner of Hislibris Historical Literature Award in the category Best Historical Non-Fiction work of 2022.

Hislibris is Spain’s most prominent community of history bloggers, who each year vote for their favorite books.

The award ceremony will take place in September.

Jo Nesbø No. 1 in Ireland

Killing Moon by Jo Nesbø rapidly climbs the official bestseller list of Ireland, coming in at No. 1.

Jo Nesbø No. 3 in the Netherlands

Jo Nesbø’s Killing Moon climbs to No. 3 on the Suspense list in the Netherlands. Killing Moon is the thirteenth Harry Hole novel.

Johan Bergmark Photo: Johan Bergmark

Cast revealed for ‘To Cook a Bear’

The first Nordic Original from Disney+, To Cook a Bear, has started filming. Trygve Allister Diesen is directing and the script is penned by Jesper Harrie. The star-studded cast includes Gustav Skarsgård, Emil Kárlsen, Ane Dahl Torp, Tyra Wingren, Magnus Krepper, Pernilla August, Simon J. Berger, Jonas Karlsson and Johan Widerberg.

‘A Completely Ordinary Friday Night with the Jansson Family’ published in Sweden

An extra nutty Friday night with the craziest family in Sweden!

The families Jansson and Yolmaz are going to have a cozy Friday night in together. As per usual, the kids are the ones taking on the roles of parents, while their wacky parents turn the house upside down.

Suddenly, the strange man Baba Roine shows up at the front door, barefoot and with a towel wrapped around his head. He has come to collect money for his home for orphaned monkeys. But something is not quite right with Roine. While the parents want to sell everything that they own in order to help the poor monkeys, the kids wonder what his real identity is…

A Completely Ordinary Friday Night with the Jansson Family is the fifth installment in Martin Widmark’s series about this crazy and relatable family.

‘Tove’s Room’ to premiere in Danish theatres

Tove’s Room (Toves værelse), a character drama written by Jakob Weis and directed by Martin Zandvliet, will premiere in Danish theatres June 22 and has already received outstanding reviews. Tove’s Room is based on Weis’ acclaimed play about author Tove Ditlevsen, and stars Paprika Steen, Lars Brygmann and Joachim Fjelstrup.

The film is set in 1963. A women’s liberation movement is underway. In a flat in Copenhagen, we meet one of the biggest female writers, Tove Ditlevsen, and her husband, the sadistic news editor in chief, Victor Andreasen. Tove’s talent is indisputable, only her husband’s destructive envy surpasses it. Their power struggle needs an audience, and on this very day they’re expecting a lunch guest, the promising young author Klaus Rifbjerg, who celebrates the modern woman. Klaus believes they’ll be talking about literature – what he doesn’t know is that a blood bath awaits him.

‘The Couples Trip’ No. 4 in Denmark

The Couples Trip by Ulf Kvensler makes its debut on the official bestseller list for crime fiction in Denmark, where it lands the No. 4 spot.

‘Victim’ published in Norway

Two years ago, Alexander Blix was the lead investigator in a missing person’s case where a young mother, Elisabeth Eie, had been kidnapped. The case came to a standstill when Blix’s own daughter was killed and he was arrested for avenging her. Now Blix is a free man once more. And the one who took Elisabeth Eie’s life has found him, leaving evidence of her murder in Blix’s mailbox.

The police are unwilling to accept Blix’s help. Even if Blix was acquitted of his crime, his career in law enforcement is over. But Eie’s murderer continues to lead Blix to his new victims, simultaneously making it clear that he knows details from Blix’s private life that the former investigator has never shared with anyone.

Meanwhile, journalist Emma Ramm has been contacted by a teenage girl called Carmen. Carmen’s stepfather has been arrested on suspicion of killing a childhood friend. But – there is no body. Nor are there any other suspects.

Blix and Ramm can only rely on each other. When Blix’s fingerprints are found on a child’s drawing at a crime scene, the present comes uncomfortably close to the past. A past where a victim has found their very own form of therapy.

Victim is the fifth installment in the Blix & ramm series by Jørn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger.